around about way

Charlotte felt lost at the old building, otherwise known as the Whitfield. It was basically an old gym with a stage and a basement. It was big enough for two venues, most times. Sometimes, the hall was rented out for gymnastics competitions, but usually, local bands came there and sometimes, even almost big names made there way to the establishment like the Jayhawks, or even Metro Station.

"So I bought it," Derrick told her as they walked around the mess of new walls being put up.

"You don't think they'd tear it down. Its a landmark," Charlotte was still startled how much money he was willing to put into the place.

"Yeah, well, it probably should be torn down," Derrick smirked. "But I won't. We're redoing the lighting and the sound. Actually, my brothers tried for years to get this land close to where the record company is, but those old timers kept saying we'd ruin the real estate around there. So this was the next best thing."

He showed her where the gift shop would be. It would be a retail place for all the bands that had played there with their T-shirts and their music and anything else they might be trying to sale. Naturally, he was going green for the place, and they even had their own charity of helping third world countries get water, build houses and buy animals for villages.

Charlotte admired some of his ventures in business. Of course, she wasn't sure how they were paying off, exactly. Derrick hadn't gone anywhere this summer. He'd stayed home to oversee the Whitfield.

She supposed there was not a real good time to do it. It would have probably been impossible to reconstruct it in the dead of winter, but still there were rain storms to fight and threats of tornadoes ever so often. Yet it continued on. Derrick was on a mission.

Charlotte supposed he liked to think of himself as a missionary of some kind without God, she guessed. Of course, she didn't know what this had to do with her and their little spill at the library.

"Well, you know I like you," he said as the tour began to wind down and Charlotte saw it was getting late. She wanted to be home by five so she could have a long talk with Rosco on the phone in the privacy of their room.

"Thanks, I suppose." Charlotte kept her hands in her back pockets.

"I really wish you'd work for me," Derrick said.

"I'm not very musical." Charlotte scowled. She'd do her best to look her ugliest around him.

"I'm not asking to sign you on for a record deal."

"I didn't think so."

"I think you could do some great cover art for us."

"Oh." She hated to admit she found the idea intriguing. "I'm so busy with the reading program and all, you know." She just wanted to get through this summer. Was that too much to ask for?